Antitheft device



June 1,1926. 1,587,395

J. A. MARTIN ANTITHEET DEVICE Filed July 2, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet i c1 .71. Mar 12 1w WITNESS: AI IORNEY June 1 1926. 1,587,395

J. A. MARTIN ANTITHEFT DEVICE Filed July 2, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 00 ooqooooo' oOQooOooo 00 I l [All/ll! ATTO EY WITNESS: RN

Patented June 1, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTITHEET DEVICE.

Application filed July 2, 1925. Serial No. 41,237.

This invention relates to an attachment for a motor vehicle, the general object of the invention being to provide means for preventing theft of the Vehicle while the owner or driver is absent. An object of the invention is to provide means whereby if the thief happens to be able to start the vehicle, the police authorities, observing the vehicle will notice the absence of an indicating character or sign and-will thus know that t 1e car is being used unlawfully.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the azcompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary front view of a vehicle showing the invention in use. Flgure 2 1s a reverse view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 1s a section on line 33 of Figure 4.

Figure a is a section on line 4l-4l of Figure 8.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 4:.

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view through Figure 5.

Figure '7 is a view of the tag and key used with the device.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of the circuits.

In these views, 1 indicates a casing which is preferably arranged at one corner of the windshield of a car or vehicle, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, so that it can be seen through the windshield. This casing is provided with windows 2 and 3 so that the plates or tags t and 5 can be seen by a person looking through the windshield. The plate 4: is permanently attached to the casing and contains a number or character for identifying the vehicle, as shown at 6, this number being formed of perforations or transparent parts so that the rays from a lamp 7 placed in the casing will pass through the same and thus make the number or character visible by a person looking at the device. The plate 5 contains a similar number or character, as shown at 6,

which will also be illuminated by the lamp;

7 but this plate 5 is slidably arranged 1n guideways 8 formed at the front of the casing so that it can be removed and replaced as desired. This plate 5 has a key 9 attached thereto by a chain 10 and at one edge is provided with the serrations or wards 11. The casing is provided with a lower extension 12 which contains a lock switch 12" which is actuated by the key 9. The key barrel is connected with the shaft 13 which carries the switch arm 14; for engaging the terminals 15 to which the wires 16 are connected. One of these wires is connected with the battery B of the vehicle and the other with the ignition means and with the lighting system, shown generally at A, of the vehicle. The shaft carries a disc 17 which has an arc-shaped slot 18 therein and notches 19and 19, these notches communicating with the central part of the slot. A lever 20 is pivoted in the extension 12 and's normally pressed upwardly by a spring 21 so that its serrated or ward carrying part 22 will pass into that part of the casing which receives the plate 5 so that its ward will engage the wards on the plate when the plate is in position. When a plate with wards thereon similar to the wards on the lever 20 is placed in the guideways 8, the lever 20 will be pressed downwardly to a position where a pin 23 thereon will be moved out of the notch 19 into the slot 18 so that the disc can be turned without interference on the part of the pin 23. Thus the shaft 13 can be turned by the key 9 to close the ignition switch when a plate bearing the proper wards is placed in the guideways. The switch cannot be moved by the key until such a plate is put in position and until the plate is put in place the pin 23 engaging the notch 19 will prevent turning movement of the disc and the shaft 13. If a plate having longer wards isput in position the pin will pass into the notch 19 and still prevent move ment of the switch parts so that a plate bearing the proper wards must be used before the switch can be moved by its key. As shown in Figures 2 and 8 I prefer to place the device between the battery and the main switches S of the vehicle so that it will prevent the closing of both the ignition circuit and the lighting circuit of the vehicle while the owner or driver is absent.

If a thief should succeed in starting the motor of the vehicle by bridging the wires between the device or in any other manner a police otlicial or other person observing the vehicle would know that it was being used unlawfully by the absence of the plate 5 as only one indicating character would appear through the windshield.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided means whereby a vehicle can be locked by a key and then the lock itself locked against movement by a key until a plate designed for this particular lock is placed in the device to move the lever to a position where the pin thereon will permit movement of the disc 17. This plate will bear a character or number similar to a number or character attached to the vehicle, the absence of one of these plates giving notice to the police otlicials that the car is being used unlawfully.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of my invention will be readily apparent.

I desire it to be understood that I may make changes in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. In combination with a lock and its key, means for preventing actuation of the lock by its key, a member for moving such means into inactive position to permit the lock to be actuated by its key, identification means on the vehicle, duplicate means on the member and a holder for the identification means and the member having windows therein.

2. In combination with a lock and its key for controlling the ignition circuit thereof, a key actuated lock for said switch, means for preventing the actuation of the lock by its key, such means including a ward bearing member, a casing into which the Ward bearing member extends and a plate removably mounted in the casing and con taining wards similar to the wards on the member.

3. An attachment for a motor vehicle comprising a casing, a member therein containing identification means, guideways formed in the casing, a plate mounted in the same and having identification means similar to those on the member, wards on the plate, a lever in the casing having wards thereon similar to those on the plate, a spring for holding the lever with its wards engaging the wards in the plate, a key actuated lock in the casing, means controlled by the lever for holding the same in locked position until the lever has been moved by the ward carrying plate and means associated with the lock for controlling the ignition circuit of the vehicle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN A. MARTIN. 

